Well I finally had my chance to sail on the Odyssey V. A 36 foot custom Robertson design sailing vessel. This boat is built like a tank. All steel at 9 tons. Not much will blow this sailing boat over. The boat was made to handle very heavy wind and water conditions, but slow in low or moderate winds. It was a very cool day and we needed to wear multiple layers of clothing including our sailing jacket. The wind were between 10 and 15 knots and the boat respond wonderfully. Once the sails were set you didn't need to fight the wheel as I do on my Tanzer 26 tiller. The owner and other crew member were telling me, how thy want to do a Atlantic crossing, stopping off at the Azores, a wonderful paradise just off of the Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1500 km (950 mi) from Lisbon.I really got excited and asked them to count me in. There plan is to sail off of the Italian coast and end up in the Adriatic Sea, by Croatia were the owner of the boat is from. I asked if we could do a sailing holiday Majorca, Malta side trip on the way. I guess time matters in this equation. We talked about sailing gear and the cost of outfitting.... it really got my blood pumping that this could be a reality. When it came to sailing GPS the thought came up that we would need at least 4 GPS because of salt water and electronic malfunctions. If anyone has suggestions please leave a comment.
When I questioned, if this was the boat they where taking, Lazlo the owner said that, they were considering other sailing vessels, and that he had a 42 foot sailing boat at his farm to be updated,meaning lots of work. He wasn't sure if he wanted to wait to long. He said " You know I am not getting younger and the bones are starting to complain if I push myself to much". I agreed, lets do it as soon as possible. We talked about sailing terms, and how different people have there own word or phrase for a particular situation or command while sailing. All in all it was a cold but wonderful day. Here are some pictures of the Odyssey V.
Until next time. Enjoy the wind in your face and the sun to warm your heart.
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